Reading requires the acquisition of linguistic information from spatially ordered visual symbols. Since high acuity vision is limited to a small area of text, generally encompassing only the directly fixated word, readers need to execute a series of eye movements to view successive segments of text. One set of the proposed studies determines general principles of oculomotor control during reading. A second set examines how constraints of the visuo-motor system shape the acquisition of linguistic information. In most of the proposed experiments the visibility of critical text segments is made contingent upon the location, duration, or spatial location of individual eye fixations (eye movements). Effects of viewing constraints and of linguistic text manipulations on oculomotor activity are measured and used to infer principles of movement programming and text acquisition. The results should contribute to a model of visual language perception that considers the unique constraints of the visuo-motor system. This may assist our understanding of reading disabilities in individuals with no auditory language impairment. Advancement of oculomotor models should also make methodological and theoretical contributions to all areas of cognitive study which rely on the use of oculomotor measures.